Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s speech at foundation stone laying ceremony and dedication of multiple projects in Leh
Before coming here somebody told me that Leh is extremely cold. The temperature is below zero degrees Celsius. I am truly proud of the fact that you all have gathered here in such a cold weather and I salute everyone. After landing I saw several elderly mothers had come to the Airport to bless me. They were standing outside the airport in the minus degree temperature. I too came out of the car to seek their blessings. Such love, affection and blessings of the mothers in such a harsh climatic condition moved me and provided a new energy and strength. I am no longer feeling cold because of your affection.
The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on the dais Shri Satyapal Malik ji, my Cabinet colleague and the son of Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Jitendra Singh ji, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council, Mr. Haji Anayat Ali ji, President of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Shri GP Wangyal Ji, Chairman of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, Mr. Feroz Ahmed, Member of the Legislative Council, Shri Tsering Dorjey Ji, and my dear brothers and sisters present here!
Ladakh is a land of heroes. Be it 1947 or the 1962 war or the battle of Kargil, the brave soldiers of Leh and Kargil have ensured the security of the country. Ladakh, embellished with such beautiful hills, is also the source of many rivers and truly is a gift of God to all of us. I have got the opportunity to be amongst you all again within 9-10 months. The harsh conditions that you live in, and the way you face the challenge of every difficult situation inspires me to work for you in an even more dedicated manner. I will return your love with interest by developing the region. I realize that climate brings challenges for you all. You face issues with electricity and water. One has to face troubles during an illness. You have to wander far and wide to look for fodder for your animals. I have had the privilege of being here, when I used to work for my party's organization. So I stayed with you for a very long time. I have seen the problems myself by living here and have seen people facing difficulties.
Friends,
The Central Government is fully committed to overcome these problems and hence I keep coming to Leh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir again and again. The last time several projects related to electricity were either inaugurated or their foundation stones were laid. You all have seen that projects worth approximately Rs.3000 crore for making your lives better have been inaugurated today or their foundation stones have been laid. With the help of Dah Hydroelectric project, several villages of Leh and Kargil will receive sufficient and affordable electricity. At the same time there is Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass- Kargil-Leh Transmission system. I had got the opportunity to lay the foundation stone of the same. This project worth more than Rs.2000 crores will resolve the issue of electricity in Leh-Ladakh.
Friends,
This is the work culture of our government. The country has left behind the culture of delaying projects and in the coming five years I want to eliminate this culture from the country completely. We ensure the completion of all the projects whose foundation stones have been laid.
Brothers and sisters,
All the projects that have been dedicated, launched or the projects whose foundation stones have been laid today will not only provide better electricity but will also improve the connectivity of Leh and Ladakh with the other cities of the country and the world, besides enhancing tourism and employment opportunities. The students will get good educational facilities here itself. The climate here is so beautiful that if the best quality educational system is set up here, then I can assert with conviction that youngsters from every corner of the country will come to study in Leh-Ladakh. We must have those dreams. I have such dreams.
Friends,
Our respected Kushok Bakula Rimpochee ji had spent his entire life towards one dream. Connecting Leh-Ladakh with the rest of India and strengthening the country's unity and integrity was the biggest dream of Late Rimpochee ji. The Central Government is providing a new extension of connectivity here to fulfil his dreams. Work is underway on two large projects connecting Leh-Ladakh by rail and air. For the first time, both the railway lines connecting the region with the rail map of the country and the new and modern terminal building of Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport will prove to give further impetus to development here.
Friends,
Nobody thought of modernization and adding new facilities to the airport building that was constructed three decades ago. Today the foundation stone of the new terminal building has been laid and very soon it will be inaugurated. I want to assure you that the foundation stone of the project that was laid before has been inaugurated today and for the project whose foundation stone has been laid today, I only will come here with your blessings to inaugurate the same. Besides providing state-of-the-art facility, this terminal will now be able to handle more passengers.
Similarly, preliminary survey has been done on Bilaspur, Manali and Leh rail line. Work has already started at several places. After this railway line is ready, the distance from Delhi to Leh will be greatly reduced. In winter, the roads here are cut off from the rest of India. This railway line will overcome this problem to a great extent.
Friends,
When connectivity starts improving in any area, the lives of the people there becomes easier, and the means of earning also increases. Tourism sector benefits the most. Leh-Ladakh region is an important place in the world for spirituality, art, culture, natural beauty and adventure sports. The government has taken another step for the development of tourism here. Today it has been decided to open five new trekking routes. The central government has also increased the validity of protected area permit on these routes from seven days to 15 days. With this initiative, the tourists coming here will be able to enjoy their entire journey peacefully and the youth of this place will get more employment.
Friends,
I have been told that this time more than 3 lakh tourists have come to Leh and about 1 lakh people have visited Kargil. In a way, half of the tourists who have just arrived in Kashmir have visited this region. The day is not far when the tourism of Leh-Ladakh will scale new heights.
Brothers and sisters,
The central government is trying to ensure the five streams of development across the country i.e. education for children, income for the youth, medicine for the elderly, irrigation for the farmers and addressing public grievances. Efforts are on to strengthen all these facilities in Leh-Ladakh and Kargil as well. 40 per cent of the total population of Ladakh accounts for the young students. All of you have been demanding a University here for a long time. Today this demand of yours has also been fulfilled and I congratulate all of you and especially my young friends for the same. Today this Cluster University has been launched. It will use the resources from degree colleges running in Nubra, Leh, Zanskar,Drass , Khaltsi and Kargil. It will also have administrative offices in Leh and Kargil for the convenience of the students.
Friends,
Leh-Ladakh is among those parts of the country, where Schedule Tribe brothers and sisters have a substantial population. The budget presented by the central government two days ago laid a lot of emphasis on the welfare of SC-STs. The budget for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes has been increased by about 30 per cent whereas for the development of Dalits, more than 35 per cent has been allocated this time in the budget. With the provision of more than Rs 11 thousand crore made for ST welfare in the budget there will be an improvement in education, health and other facilities.
Brothers and sisters,
The central government is trying to bring every such citizen of the country to the mainstream of development that had not got the complete benefit of development due to some reason. In this budget, the government has also taken a major decision for the nomadic community. These are the people who, due to their lifestyle and often because of the weather cannot stay at one place. In such a scenario, it is very difficult for these people to get the benefits of the government scheme. Now the government has decided to create a Welfare Development Board for these people so that the benefits of these development initiatives with which the government is moving ahead reach these families and these collective communities; the benefits which have not reached them even after 70 years of independence. These should reach them fast. And who are these people? They are the snake-charmers, Banjaras and those iron-smiths who roam around in bullock carts. The Shepherds do not stop anywhere. They keep moving with their livestock. It takes two years for them to return to their original place. We have taken a major decision concerning such families.
Friends,
Besides, the government has also made a historical announcement for the farmers of the country in the budget. PM Kisan Samman Nidhi i.e. PM kisan in short, is going to benefit many farmer families of Leh-Ladakh. The government has decided that the farmers who have less than five acres of land and almost every farmer here falls in that category; all those possessing less than five acres of land will be given Rs. 6 thousand that will be directly deposited in their bank accounts every year by the central government. You will get the amount in three installments of two thousand rupees each. It has been decided according to the season. I am trying to deliver the first installment of the same very soon. And that's why I am going to send its guidelines to all the state governments of the country today. Information has been sent asking for the list of the farmers and their Aadhaar numbers immediately so that the money gets deposited in their account. These are not merely promises or hollow talks. No, I have to implement it. And the more active the machinery of all the states is; the faster will the benefits reach the people.
Therefore, the farmers producing potatoes, peas and cauliflower here will be encouraged. And I clearly remember, when I was working for the Party, I had to come here from Delhi. The party workers known to me had only one request - they offered to pay for the luggage but asked me to get cauliflower for them. Even I used to carry a lot of vegetables from here. All the families loved having these vegetables. And let me tell you, this new scheme is an amazing scheme for the farmers. Those people sitting inside AC rooms in Delhi can never understand the significance of Rs.6000 for the poor farmers living in areas with harsh conditions like inaccessible hilly areas, desert areas and backward areas.
I heartily congratulate all the farmers across the country for this new scheme.
Friends,
This region of Leh, Ladakh and Kargil is the crown of India. This crown of Maa Bharati is our pride. This area has been the center of our development priorities for the last four and a half years. I am glad that the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Act has been amended. And the Council has now been given more powers in matters related to expenditure. Now the Autonomous Council only releases the money coming for the development of this area. The scope for the Council's rights and decision-making power has also been enhanced. With this, important issues can be solved more quickly, and more sensitively. Now you do not have to go to Srinagar and Jammu again and again for your needs. But most of the work will be completed here only in Leh and Ladakh.
Friends,
The central government is working on the basic mantra of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas'. We have been trying day in and day out for the last four and a half years to ensure that no person of the country or no corner of the country remains untouched by development.
I assure the people here that no stone will be left unturned for the development of Leh, Ladakh and Kargil. My friend has just read a long list but I want to assure you that I do not want to go into the nitty-gritty. The greatest benefit is the fact that I am most familiar with this place and I am a Prime Minister who has wandered in every corner of India. So I have a sense of a lot of things. I gather the details from the officers but I have the experience. I assure you that the Central Government respects your hopes and expectations. And today's foundation stone laying ceremony and inauguration programme is in line with that.
I once again congratulate you for all the projects that promise to make your lives easier. Even in this winter season you have come from far and wide to bless me; I am very thankful to all of you for coming here in large numbers. Say along with me loudly.......
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Bharat Mata ki Jai!
Thanks a lot!